


Underneath the Tree

by statichearts



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, First Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 13:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/statichearts/pseuds/statichearts
Summary: Mickey has never decorated a Christmas tree before. Well, never had a real Christmas in general but Ian and the Gallagher family are hoping to change bad memories into good ones.(set in the timeline of season 10)
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 6
Kudos: 105





	Underneath the Tree

**Author's Note:**

> two stories in a week has to be a new record for me but what can I say? once the inspiration hits, it hits hard.
> 
> shoutout this time to @nappingmickey on twitter who said that mickey has never decorated a christmas tree before and broke my heart

Mickey had to be the only person in the world that saw the first snowfall of winter and immediately filled with dread. 

It wasn’t so much that he hated it as much as he loathed every little thing that came with it. The South Side went from regular day to day assholes to merry day to day assholes - the kind that carried plastic trees down the street, sang drunk carols at all hours of the night, and decorated their houses in cheap lights they swiped from Home Depot. It was hardly a merry occasion in the Milkovich household, hadn’t been since Mickey’s mom was alive. Mickey didn’t remember many good things about her, didn’t ever mention her, but the caring side definitely floated around in her gene pool more than their dad’s.

It was never much, never anything more than the occasional action figure for Mickey to bash in or makeup for Mandy to smear on her face. No, Christmas might as well have been any other day. No tree, no fancy wrapping paper, no big dinner or bedtime story. It was an exchange, a formality, a time for Mickey to feel even more excluded from the people around him than he already did. So in fact, Mickey kind of hated Christmas. It was hard not to when the time always seemed to roll around when Mickey was either miserable or in jail or a sick combination of the two.

It was a long standing tradition all of its own but of course, as most things in his life, Ian Gallagher had to come and fuck it all up. It started small at first with ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ being sung badly by Debbie as she washed dishes in the early morning and then the song promptly becoming his ringtone by the end of the day. Ian got an earful about it for a good two hours until he helped him change it back. Then it moved to Mickey being woken up by a soft kiss to the cheek, the smell of cinnamon, and a leaf being shaken around in his face. ‘It’s mistletoe, asshole. It’s romantic.’ was all he heard as he groaned, pulling the covers back over his face.

Fuck Christmas. 

Mickey wasn’t stupid enough to not realize what Ian was trying to do. Get Mickey in the mood for Christmas. It’ll be romantic, he’d say. It was their first official Christmas together as a solid couple and they had to celebrate it. Mickey knew that better than anyone. It hadn’t left his mind in the months prior and yet, it still left an odd pit in his stomach. The last thing Mickey needed was for the Gallaghers to bound together to create some perfect Christmas for him. He didn’t need it. Definitely didn’t want it. Of course not. 

Still as the days crept closer to the impeding holiday and with Ian’s neverending cheer, Mickey wasn’t able to deny that it was maybe slightly contagious. He felt lighter on his feet, a warmth crawling through his chest when he remembered that this was his life now. It took a while to get there but stability wasn’t something Mickey was used to and now he had it. Maybe it didn’t have to be all bad. 

One day in particular, Mickey woke up to an empty bed and no good morning kiss which was admittedly, was strange for him at this point. He blindly reached to the spot next to him, groaning when he didn’t feel Ian beside him. The only sound that filtered through his groggy mind was chattering coming from downstairs, the faint sound of Christmas music drifting through the walls. “The fuck?” He muttered out loud as he rubbed the exhaustion out of his eyes, not bothering to look at the clock as he sat up, his feet sliding into slippers to make the trek down. 

Mickey wasn’t sure what he was supposed to expect when he finally got to the first floor but what he saw, wasn’t it. The Gallaghers (and others) were all bustling around the living room and kitchen, stacks of boxes in every corner. The distinct smell of eggnog or something similar bombarded him as he watched the scene unfold, Mickey’s mouth falling open slightly. At the same time, Ian came out of the kitchen, a warm mug in his hands as a smile overtook his features. 

“Hey, you’re awake.” He leaned in, placing a quick kiss on Mickey’s lips before thrusting the mug into his hands. “I spiked it for you. Thought it might help you make it through Gallagher decorating day.” 

Mickey sputtered, his hands nearly losing their grip on the mug. “What the fuck is going on?” The words came out as bewildered as his expression was giving off and all Ian could do was laugh.

“Decorating day, Mick.” He shook his head, one hand on the small of Mickey’s back to guide him to the group. “Drink your eggnog, wake up, and grab something. It’s not hard.” 

That had to be the understatement of the century but Mickey did as he was told, thankful for the hint of a bite as he chugged the eggnog, not the least bit bothered by the burn on the way down. Every other bit of holiday cheer was easy to avoid but Ian had forgotten to mention this one in particular, most likely on purpose. With a heavy sigh, Mickey set his mug aside and reached into a box, pulling out a dusty and cracked looking little drummer boy. 

“Alright. Move aside then, fuckers. I’ve got this.” 

Everyone seemed to pause for second at Mickey’s words, Ian smiling from where he was helping Lip get the tree level. He nodded and moved aside, his eyes seemingly glittering as Mickey reached up on his tiptoes to place the ornament on a spot square in the middle of the tree. It wasn’t groundbreaking or anything to be sentimental about but after all his huffing and puffing, Mickey couldn’t help but feel something in him stir.

Of course, it wasn’t a Gallagher Christmas if it went without a hitch. At least a dozen ornaments got broken, some of them by Mickey who insisted he could reach the top parts of the tree on his own, thank you very fucking much. Lip and Tami argued over a star versus an angel on the tree while Debbie had to deal with both Frannie and Freddie, both of the children wanting to cry at different intervals over the course of the next four hours. It was enough to give anyone a headache but Mickey being four rounds of eggnog in, only felt the delightful buzz of his whiskey kicking in. 

By the end of it, most of the tree was haphazardly covered in decorations, tilting slightly to one side at the uneven weight. It was hardly perfect but it was somehow fitting for the chaos around them. Debbie helped Frannie put up a little star she had decorated before lifting the little girl into her arms. “I’m gonna put the kids down for a nap if you guys want to finish up,” she told the last remaining pair as Kev and V had long since gone home to feed their own kids. Ian nodded, coming around behind Mickey with the star in his hands, the result of Lip and Tami’s bickering. 

“We’ve got it.” Ian answered, his lips still pulled up into a horribly dopey smile. Debbie gave a grin of her own before passing by them, cooing at the two youngest Gallaghers as they headed up the stairs and left Ian and Mickey to their own devices. Looking up at the tree, Mickey was nursing one more mug of eggnog, a bit wobbly on his feet but still in for the count. 

“Fucking ugly tree,” he mumbled, shaking his head though his words were teasing, not bitter or spiteful anymore. 

“Hey, we do what we can with what we’ve got.” Ian moved in closer, handing the star over to Mickey. “You got this on your own or do you need a boost?” He teased right back, his own cheeks rosy from the drinks he’d had. 

Mickey shoved at his boyfriend’s chest, taking the star into his tattooed hands. “Fuck off, alright? I don’t need you or your height.” He laughed, pushing Ian out of his way as he jumped up onto the couch to reach the top of the tree. Mickey’s body swayed as he leaned in, his chest nearly pressing up against the branches as he attempted to use the tips of his fingers to get the star in place. The already uneven tree shifted under Mickey’s weight and if it wasn’t for a pair of strong arms wrapping around his waist, the whole thing might have fallen over. 

“I said fuck off. I got it.” 

“Oh yeah, you’ve definitely got it.”

Mickey rolled his eyes but used the added leverage to push the star into place. It stood a bit crooked and the bulb didn’t blink as brightly as it should have but seeing it there, Mickey thought it fit pretty damn perfectly. With Ian’s arms still around him, the pair pulled back to admire their handiwork. 

“Still hate fucking Christmas.” Mickey added in as the music slid into ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ and everything around them seemed to go still. Even with the snow picking up outside, the sky cold and gray, Mickey let himself think, if only briefly, that they were the perfect dysfunctional picture of what Christmas could be. It didn’t have to be fancy or grand. Mickey’s Christmas was just missing this. Someone to share it with. 

Sensing the moment, Ian guided Mickey back to the couch. He wasted no time in slinging an arm around him, pulling Mickey against his chest.

“Merry Christmas, Mick.”

Mickey settled in easily, his head resting on Ian’s shoulder as he let out a shaky breath. “Merry Christmas, Ian.”


End file.
